My
dad has been a musician all his life, building up a reputation as one of
the best in his field. Yet, in my opinion, I never heard his talent recorded in
the way it should or could have been, hearing sounds in my head that told me of
other possibilities, other ways to make music with the steel guitar that no one
else dared to attempt. As I grew older and set out upon my own artistic career,
the desire to create those sounds, though lying dormant just below the surface,
never left me. Only the high cost of studio recording in those days had kept
the dream of making those sounds a reality.

That
being said, when the age of computers and digital technology allowed musicians
to record their own projects at home for a fraction of what studio time had
previously cost, the message from on high to record the old man was a
no-brainer. Barely knowing how to even turn the computer on, I set out to
digitalize myself, taking classes at the local community college and enrolling
in an audio engineering school. Though the learning curve was a steep one,
within a few years I began to be able to translate the frequencies taking place
in my head into audible sounds in the real world. Art had never been so
enjoyable.

Along
the way, there were many meetings with other gear-heads to talk shop or swap
ideas, one of whom was a father who, no matter where we were or whatever we
were doing, kept in close contact with his young son on the cell phone. Though
I didn't use the device myself and had no direct experience with its effects,
I had known of the possible health risks. When I warned him of what I knew, the
message was not a welcomed one, as it was a threat to a lifestyle of, excuse
the overused term, "convenience."

My
friend was young and healthy. He was a talented engineer and had big plans to
re-establish his musical career. Yet, his son would grow up fatherless, the
result of a brain tumor, coincidentally or not, on the side of the head where
the cell phone was used the most.

After
finishing school I dove into my own work, recording and mixing whenever time
allowed. Always operating against the curve, it was a slow and tedious process.
Toward the end of our first two projects, I began to notice effects such as
headaches and an uneasy anxiety within my body. There were also memory lapses,
nausea and insomnia, even when I was deathly tired. When my wife entered the
studio, she couldn't stay long, complaining of the over abundance of electrical
devices, especially the wi-fi unit which sat at arms length on my desk. I reacted
as my friend had done earlier. It was all in her head, I thought, my symptoms
merely being the result of old age. When I woke up in the middle of the night
after one particularly long session, burning from inside out, I was still in
denial. My experience in this world had suddenly turned upside down, yet I had
still not connected the dots.

Burning
was, in actuality, not the best description to offer as to what my body was
experiencing. I had been micro waved, melted to the core. My skin felt as
though it had an intense sunburn, even if its outward temperature was cool. My
mind was in perpetual panic mode and I couldn't think, any stress sending me
further over the edge. Ironically, it was the computer that I went to with the
hope of educating myself as to what was going on and finding out what to do
about it. It didn't take long to find an over abundance of related material.

There
was much to be said on the web concerning burning and anxiety. In truth, there
can be many causes, and as it appeared, many people were dazed and confused and
searching for the same answers. While oftentimes tests revealed no
abnormalities, doctors pronounced anxiety or depression as the culprits or
simply considered the condition idiopathic, meaning of no certain cause. And since
prescribing relaxants or anti-depression pills gave temporary relief, it merely
confirmed their diagnosis as being all in the mind.

But
this was not anywhere close to being a figment of my imagination. To add to my
predicament was the fact that not only could I no longer work behind my gear, I
could not remain in any electrical hot spots like coffee shops, libraries,
etc., where any wireless communication transpired. It was as if I was a
radiated antenna sensitized to the unseen forces of technology. No doubt my case
was one of extremes, but I found other electrical engineers who had to
literally quit their work and search for other jobs.

For
the most part, the overriding evidence I gathered pointed to nerve damage.
Small-fiber neuropathy, or damage to the finer endings of the nerves, cannot be
detected by standard nerve conduction studies or tests, but it is known to
easily produce the symptoms of pain and temperature extremes like burning.
There is mounting evidence to suggest that EMF's (electro-magnetic frequencies)
are the cause of other "low-grade" effects on the human body such as fatigue,
depression and impotence, which appear to be reaching epidemic levels. Yet,
like many other issues in our modern world where big bucks are involved,
education or regulations concerning electro-magnetic frequencies that can cause
serious health risks, in this country at least, has been discouraged by both
the mainstream media and the corporations that control it.

Europe takes the effects of
EMF's more seriously. In America and Canada those who reassure us that wireless
technologies are safe say that there must be scientific proof before taking
action, allowing it until it's proven harmful, whereas the public health
approach taken by the European Environment Agency is to take action when there
is only reasonable evidence of harm. In Swedish schools, for example, if only
one student is affected by wi-fi, the system is removed. In September 2007, the
European Union's environmental watchdog, the European Environmental Agency,
warned that cell-phone technology "could lead to a health crisis similar to
those caused by asbestos, smoking, and lead in petrol." Another study sponsored
by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, in Lyon, France concluded
in 2008 that after just a decade of cell-phone use, the chance of getting a
brain tumor, especially on the side of the head most used, goes up as many as
40 percent for adults. Unfortunately, the damage done to children can be
considerably more devastating.

Because
children have thinner skulls and a developing nervous system, they are
particularly vulnerable to EMF's, or RF's (radio frequency radiation, the part
of the electro-magnetic spectrum used in wireless communication today), and
subsequently, can absorb 50 to 70 percent more radiation from hand-held phones
than adults. In France,
cell towers are not allowed to be erected anywhere near schools. A new Swedish
study now claims a five-hundred percent greater risk for children to develop
cancer within ten to twenty years just from the proximity effect. The
implications of what the next generation will endure by the breakdown of DNA
and the body's ability to repair itself are frightening. When communication
between the cells in the brain or body is disrupted by these radio frequencies,
the cells merely create more of themselves to bridge the gap between each
other. Without a strong DNA blueprint to correct itself, the over growth of
cells runs rampant.

I
could go on about the negatives of microwave technologies that are bombarding
our bodies, but the best way to gain more knowledge and insight of what to do
about it is through the source material provided. The Bioinitiative Report is
an excellent place to start.

There
is an upside of sorts to my own personal story of electro-sensitivity. I did go
on to finish our first two projects, albeit a bit hurriedly considering the
circumstances. And as adversity can oftentimes do, this challenge has brought
me more in tune with not only myself and how my body works, but also with the
healing powers of nature, water, and grounding with and to the earth. There is
also much that can still be done to lessen or negate the effects of
environmental toxins and pollution through diet and the use of living foods,
detoxification programs, re-programming of the mind, spiritual healing at the
level of the soul and DNA, and as I have just experienced, the healing powers
of journeying with plant medicines, gifts given by our nurturing Mother
herself. But this is another story in itself.

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Born: San Mateo, California September 6, 1957. Along
with one brother, raised by mother, a social worker. Attended San Jose State University
on an athletic scholarship after winning California State Championship in the
pole-vault. Received a BFA. After being nationally ranked and placing in
international meets, moved to Los
Angeles to train for the 1984 Olympics. Artistic
career began after a career-ending injury before Olympic trials. Signed on with
R.B. Stevenson gallery in La Jolla, Pierette Van Cleve and Art Cellar Exchange
in San Diego,
and had several successful sold out showings. Ended artistic career after being
burned out, chemicaly poisoned and physically compromised.
Began producing Hawaiian music with my father, world-renowned pedal-steel
guitar player Bobby Black, who has had long stints with the likes of Commander
Cody, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and Asleep at the Wheel.
Currently living in Burligame,
California with my wife, Angelina.